Girl Enchanted (Book 2 of The Girl Trilogy) (13 page)

After that, he lifted me off of his
shoulder and put me beside him.

Immediately, I swam away with all my
speed. My body was so pumped with adrenaline that I felt like I
might just explode. I made it past the warehouses and to the
willows. But he swam after me.

“
What are you going to do,
wild child? Just swim away.

I tried to move as fast as I could,
weaving in and out of the willows at great speed.

“
I missed you,” he said in
a sweet voice. “Don’t you know how much I need you?”

That infuriated me. I stopped at once
in the middle of the forest. He stopped with me as if he had
anticipated my move. We were face to face now. “Just leave me
alone. I want Shaul, not you! Don’t you know that?”

I was surprised. His demeanor changed.
He looked genuinely hurt, but he tried to cover. “Oh.” His eyes
were glazed. “I could give you to Shaul if that’s what you
want.”

I wanted to cry and throw myself into
his arms. My feelings were crazy. Nothing made sense. I hated him.
“Yes, that’s what I want.”

“
Ok, then.” He cleared his
throat. I’ll take you to him.

“
Really?” I was
surprised.

“
Yeah.” The tone of his
voice was serious. There was a softness to his vocals that threw
me. Something about him seemed raw and genuine. That surprised me.
It must be a trick.

“
He’s in Azkelon.” His
gorgeous face was expressionless, blank. “I’ll take you there.
You’ll like it.”

I did want to go to Azkelon to find my
father. I wanted that more than anything. “Ok, I’ll go.”

“
You will?” His voice
lifted as he smiled.

“
What are you happy about?
I’m going to see Shaul.”

“
Right.” He paused, giving
the impression that he was thinking. “At least I get to spend time
with you on the way there.”

I rolled my eyes, wondering what sort
of machinations he had planned.

“
Take my hand,” he said,
the dimples forming on his face.

“
Why should I?”

“
Believe me. You want to be
in my arms when we swim into the light. The energy is so intense.
It will be easier for you if I hold you in it.”

He was right. I was afraid of entering
the light.

“
These willows aren’t any
fun to swim through. It’s so dark and gloomy in this forest. Climb
on my back and I’ll get us through here quickly.”

I contorted my face. “That’s absurd.
You want me to get on your back?”

“
Yes. Come on. It’ll be
exciting. You’ll see.”

I couldn’t straddle his back like
riding a horse because I didn’t have legs right now. So, I went
behind him and held onto his muscular shoulders.

“
Hold tight,” he said. And
he was off and swimming like a missile. It was fun. We were moving
so fast, weaving in and out of the willows at such great speed,
that it felt like I was on a very smooth battle coaster at the
amusement park.

“
Whoa! This is great,” I
couldn’t help but yell out in joy.

In no time, we were out of the forest
and into clear water. I couldn’t see anything but bubbles and light
because we were moving too fast.

He took a sharp dive downwards. The
speed was so great it felt like free falling. I tried not to laugh
because I didn’t want him to know what a thrilling time I was
having.

“
Now we’re just going to go
right into the light and I’m going to hold you tight.”

I was terrified, remembering the last
time I burnt up into nothing. But, before I had much chance to
think about it, he pulled me up against his chest and held me
securely.

“
Now!” He screamed. And we
shot into the light. I held him so tightly, but in no time, we were
formless. There was nothing to hold. I felt his essence. Maybe it
was his soul that I felt, if he even had one. But, it was an
entirely pleasurable experience. It was like we were one. I knew
him entirely and I loved him.

That must have been why he took me
into the light. He must have known that the realness of the
experience would attach me to him and it did. It’s difficult to
explain the ethereal, but it is the only thing that is true. I was
one with him. I was one with everything. There were no physical
divisions of otherness. We were just us and everyone and that’s
it.

The music called us and our minds
directed our consciousness toward it. This was where we had to be.
We didn’t have a choice any longer. At once, we shot through a port
hole. It was like a long tunnel with scenery at the end like a
beautiful, clear vision in a dream.

Suddenly, we landed in physical form
and we were in Azkelon. I couldn’t believe my eyes!

13

As we entered Azkelon
through the porthole, I was still in Aver’s arms. We were chest to
chest.

Before our eyes was a
heavenly world. Azkelon was golden, sparkling and grand.
Magnificent castles lined the purple mountains. Treasure chests of
gold and jewels lay open on the underwater streets. Beautiful
hanging gardens with Roman pillars and stone arches accentuated the
lush park to our right. And intricately carved terraces overlooked
views of mesmerizing canyons to our left.

The scenery was so
impressive, I nearly cried. I definitely wanted to live here. But,
not in a million years was I going to let Aver know how much I
liked what I saw.

“You can let go now,” I
said sternly, trying to cover my awe for this enchanting world. I
didn’t want him to know how happy I was to be here.

“
Ah, come
on.” His eyes were wide with wonder. “You have to admit you like
feeling my heartbeat against yours in this amazing city.” He
released me and I slapped him with my red mermaid tale. I think
that surprised him.

“Hey, you really are a
feisty one.” The dimples formed on his cheeks as he smiled wryly at
me. “What do you think of Azkelon?”

“It’s alright,” I said
shrugging my shoulders. The music was romantic in my mind, but I
tried to ignore it.

He laughed. “Just alright,
wild child?”

“That’s what I said.” My
voice was sharp.

“Ok.” He laughed again.
“We are going to have the time of our lives here.”

“We?” My focus on him was
piercing. “What about Shaul?”

He raised an eyebrow.
“What about him?”

“Where is he?” I demanded.
“You said he was here.”

His face took a serious
expression. “I thought he was.” He looked around. “Azkelon is a big
place. Don’t worry—we’ll find him.”

“You mean you don’t even
know where he is?”

“Well…” he paused. “Not
exactly, but I know he’s here and he shouldn’t be hard to
find.”

“It feels like we are in
saltwater.” My voice was melancholy.

“We are. That porthole
took us to the Ocean of Tropics.

When I heard mention of
the ocean, memories of my regular nightly swims off the Los Angeles
Coast flooded back into my mind. For a moment I thought about
living on the island with Patravia before I met Shaul. He must have
known she was a serpent person. In truth, he and Aver must have
assigned her to me. Her duty was merely to watch over me, preserve
me for their mission of bringing hell on Earth when the time was
ripe.

My heart ached at the
thought of their betrayals. Maybe if I just talked to Shaul, he
could explain it all to me. He must have had good intentions. He
wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. Or would he?

“Come on,” Aver said.
“I’ll show you where we are going to go first.”

He held out his hand, and
in my sadness, I took it. His touch sent my pulse racing which
angered me immensely, but I still held to him because the feeling
was too pleasurable to let go. I wanted him even though my mind
told me I shouldn’t. It was an unreasonable desire.

Together, we swam past the
hanging gardens and up toward the purple mountains. Bubbles trailed
behind us twinkling in light.

As we moved ahead, I
asked, “Where is everyone? Aren’t there supposed to be mermaids
here?”

“Yes, there are. It’s just
that everyone is at the festivity today.”

I couldn’t help but peek
at the attractive muscles on his lean body as he swam. He looked so
strong and powerful.

“What is the occasion?” I
noticed that the colors were so vibrant here. All the flowers and
greenery seemed so alive. The floral scents mesmerized my
senses.

“It’s just a regular day,
but Azkelon is a land of endless festivals and revelry. Every day,
the creatures of Azkelon throw fantastic parties and most everyone
swims from bash to bash. So, usually they are all wherever the
celebrations are. Sometimes the events are here, but today they are
at other enchanting sites.

“Have you been here
before?” I was noticing how his hair shined in the warm
sunlight.

He laughed. “Many
times.”

“Oh.” My voiced dropped a
note. I wondered what he had done here the other times. From what
the zebra girl and giant said, it sounded like he and Shaul
controlled both Azkelon and Aurora Springs. “When was the last time
you were here?”

For a moment his thoughts
seemed to drift in contemplation. “I haven’t been here sense the
music started playing in my mind.”

We swam through a coral
palace past the treasure of pearls and gems, past the amphitheater
where lovely mermaids watched a flashy play with red fans,
phosphorescent jelly fish, and dancing sea horses.

“Why aren’t those beauties
at the festivals?”

“That theater show is part
of the revelry. You will see as we swim. Parties line the streets,
the mountains, the outsides of dance clubs.”

After living in
post-apocalyptic Los Angeles and after being locked away in a
dungeon, this land seemed like paradise. It was heavenly. I never
wanted to leave.

We continued onward, hand
in hand, past the library of heroic legends, past the salon of
flashing mirrors, past the royal museum of silk and satin, and into
the underwater butterfly garden.

“This place reminds me of
you, wild child” Aver said as he looked at me with dreamy
eyes.

The butterflies fluttered
in dynamic colors around us, their bodies lit up in twinkle and
flash.

“Well, if any pretty
insects do fly out of me, you won’t know it here. There are so many
little charms before our eyes.”

“Come on,” he said,
pulling me forward.

“Woah!” I hollered out,
letting my fears and worries go. At the moment, I couldn’t be
angry. I was having too much fun.

We saw glowing bulbs
rolling through colorful seaweed fields ahead.

“
Where are those
magnificent bulbs going to?” I asked, wondering aloud.

His eyes flashed with fire. “I don’t
know. Let’s find out!”

In delightful curiosity, we swam after
the lit bulbs, drawn to them and the beautiful, alluring music
ahead.

“
The music we hear beyond
is the same song as in my mind. Is it the same for you?” I asked as
I pushed my wild long hair out of my face.

“
Yes! The music is both
inside of me and now outside of me in this wondrous place.” His
excitement was infectious.

The bulbs rolled faster and faster. It
took my full strength to keep up with them. The music got louder
and louder, more entrancing and mystical by the moment. Suddenly,
we found ourselves being projected upwards in a loud musical burst
of brilliant sound and light along with the bulbs. There were
sprays and flashes of light like fireworks layered atop each other
in splendor. My body filled with bliss.

“
Hey, this is great,” Aver
hollered in delight.

We came up and out of an underwater
sparkling water fountain. It was so funny—we sat on top of the
water geyser within an ornately tiled pool. Together, we were
bouncing up and down with the gushes of water that lifted us. I
couldn’t stop laughing. And Aver was laughing too.

The music was everywhere now—inside us
and out, all around. Somehow we made our way out of the geyser and
into the pool. I looked around and there was an orchestra of
mermaids and mermen surrounding the pool. They were playing all
sorts of unusual instruments and singing the most beautiful siren
songs.

The mermaids had long and flowing hair
with beautiful seashell ornaments placed attractively around the
crowns of their heads. Precious stones and conch shells lined their
necks. And delicate gold chains decorated with charms tied around
their waists.

The mermen were less adorned, but they
were no less attractive. They had perfectly sculpted bodies of
varying sizes and handsome tales of masculine colors.

The music was as glorious as I could
have imagined. And I noticed that as my moods fluctuated ever so
slightly so the orchestra accommodated. It was connected to us as
if it were us.